Global demand for thermoplastic elastomers to rise by 6% pa through 2013

03-Dec-09

Global TPE demand will rise by 6% pa through 2013 reaching 4.2 mln tons as per a report by Freedonia. China will make up 42% of new demand. Excluding China, TPE sales will remain concentrated in the developed markets of the US, Western Europe and Japan, especially for higher performance materials such as TPVs and copolyester elastomers (COPEs). At 32%, China led global demand for TPEs in 2008. The Middle Kingdom even consumed 42% of global styrenic block copolymer (SBC) in 2008, mostly due to the manufacture of products such as footwear. The US, by contrast, took the lead in global thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) and thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) demand in 2008 due to the high penetration of these materials in the automotive industry.